His Right Hand Girl
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: Being needed by others is always nice. But for Gia Moran, she wondered if she could get what she needed in return... if only she could figure out what that was first.


**A/N:**  
 **Let me just go on record saying that I am a Troy/Emma shipper. Still, I also think Troy and Gia had some very interesting chemistry and personal moments too. It's an interesting idea, and I wanted to give a reasonable canon explanation for Gia's lingering looks and position as the Megaforce Rangers' second-in-command. Set after Ultra Power.**

 **I do not own Power Rangers, its characters, or any of its related intellectual property. I'm just a humble fan trying his best to salute the show.**

* * *

Gia Moran gave a glum sigh as she idly stirred the remnants of a smoothie with her straw. It was a bright warm day outside, yet here she was sitting by herself at the counter of Ernie's Brain Freeze. Even for an early Saturday morning, the rest of the place was unusually empty and that didn't help her mood either. She should have been happy. The Rangers had just acquired their Ultra powers and were enjoying an entire week of peace and quiet free from any monster attacks. Still, part of her couldn't help but feel a little lonely today.

She already knew that Noah and Jake were going to be spending the day at the new arcade across town while Emma and Troy said they were going to go on a nature hike around the beach. Her mind lingered a little on the thought of those two as she finished her banana orange shake. Everyone could tell the two of the them liked each other, but why did it seem to bother her? She wondered for a moment if she was just jealous that someone else was spending time with her best friend, but that was nonsense. After all, it's not like she had a monopoly on Emma's time, and she was glad her friend found a nice boy to hang out with... at least that's what she kept telling herself. Whether she wanted to admit or not, a small part of her couldn't help but wish it was the other way around.

Her thoughts shifted to Troy a moment and Gia's cheeks began to feel a little warm at the thought of the Red Ranger. Sure, she thought he was good looking when she first met him, but probably what she liked most, was the fact that he never treated her like most of the other boys at school did. Not once did he ever shamelessly drool over her, or shy away in fear of her tough girl image. It was refreshing, endearing, and dare she say it, attractive? Gia shook her head quickly to dismiss her thoughts. Emma was her friend. It wasn't right to have those thoughts or interfere with her friend's "date" today at the beach... but it was still unfair. Slumping down at the counter, Gia gave a quiet groan and blew aside a limp strand of her yellow hair.

"Hey Gia! There you are!" a familiar voice called, "Are you ok?"

Gia bolted upright and spun around in surprise to see Troy standing over her with a concerned look on his face. "Troy! I... What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the beach with Emma today."

Troy gave a sheepish smile and shrugged, "Honestly, I came to check up on you because I was a little concerned. You've seemed like you've been kinda down lately and were keeping to yourself a lot. I didn't want you to feel left out, but if there's any way I can help..."

"But Emma," Gia interrupted him, "You guys had plans today..."

Troy waved a hand to calm her, "It's fine... really. Emma even agreed with me and thought it was a good idea that I go to cheer you up today. After all, I'd be a pretty crummy team leader if I didn't, right?"

Gia couldn't help but grin at the thought of spending the day with him as she tried to play it off and gave the Red Ranger a friendly punch in the arm, "You've got that right."

Troy winced a moment but asked, "Now, are you sure you're ok? You almost looked kinda sick earlier when I walked in."

Gia gave a nervous laugh and quickly straightened out her hair. As she hopped off her stool, she proceeded to pull him out of the Brain Freeze by the arm with a brighter expression, "Seriously, don't worry about it. I'm actually feeling a little better already."

The Red Ranger studied her face curiously for a moment before scratching his head and sighing, "Well, ok. If you say so. Now, I know there was going to be a little street festival with music and crafts a few blocks from the mall. You wanna go check it out?"

Gia gave a bright smile and gestured forward, "Lead the way."

* * *

Meanwhile, Prince Vrak stood atop a high bluff overlooking the beaches of Harwood County. As he took a moment to admire the scenery, the blue skinned alien idly palmed the star shaped object in his hand. He had been waiting for some time to begin experimenting with the clear iridescent crystal and he figured now was as good a time as any. The last thing he wanted right now was any meddling from the rest of the Warstar or the Toxic Mutants. He held the alien crystal up to the sunlight for a moment and it glittered with a mysterious glow, refracting the light into several different colors. As he idly scanned the beach, he caught sight of a familiar figure. The Pink Ranger was all alone and completely unaware of his presence. A cruel smile spread across his lips as he began to anticipate the coming arrival of the other Rangers.

* * *

Elsewhere, Gia and Troy made their way through the street festival admiring various pieces of art and crafts made by local artists. "Oh, hey! Look at this!" Gia said excitedly holding up a small painting of some swans. "This is a great impressionist style painting. Look at the brushwork on it."

Troy examined the picture and chuckled, "I'm afraid I don't know much about art, but I'll take your word on it."

As they continued walking, he said, "You know, I never would have pegged you as a girl who was interested in the all artsy stuff."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" she said quickly in mock outrage before breaking into a small smile, "You're right though. Not too many people know. I've actually been into drawing and painting since I was a little girl... not the coolest hobby either, I know."

"Come on. There's nothing wrong with it." Troy said in a reassuring voice, "You shouldn't have to feel like you always need to be so cool or aloof either... especially around us. After all, we're your friends."

Gia looked to him in surprise, "Really?"

"Of course." Troy replied as they sat down on a bench to listen to a nearby street band playing music. "Listen, the others already look up to you when I'm not around and I don't know anyone else I'd feel more confident in to take charge of things. But something I've learned about leadership is that you also have to relate to the others too. Sometimes that means being open and telling them how you feel about things. Do you know what I mean?"

Gia grimaced a moment and put a hand on Troy's arm, "Yeah... I think I do. Umm, Troy? About that... there's something I think I should tell you then..."

Just then, their morphers went off and Gia bit her tongue, cursing whatever inconsiderate monster had the nerve to interrupt the moment.

"Go ahead," Troy said quietly into the morpher, turning it away from the sight of other people in the street.

"Rangers! Hurry!" Tensou's squeaky voice answered, "Prince Vrak has been sighted at the beach, and Emma is in trouble!"

The Red and Yellow Rangers exchanged grim nods and abruptly took off running from the bench. Despite Gia's conflicted feelings, her duty as a Ranger and concern for her friend came first. As the two Rangers raced down an empty street, they pulled out their morphers while they ran, "Go Go Megaforce!"

* * *

As the noon sun glittered from the waters of Harwood County's beachfront, Prince Vrak stood by calmly as he saw the four other Megaforce Rangers gather together and quickly approach him. Even though they were all fully morphed, he could sense the fury on their faces behind the visors. Lying nearby was the unconscious form of Emma, sprawled out in the sand.

"Ah Rangers! It's about time you showed up." Vrak sneered gesturing to Emma. "We've been waiting for you."

"What have you done to her Vrak?" Gia roared angrily stepping forward.

Troy raised a threatening fist, "If you've hurt her..."

Vrak laughed, "The girl is fine Red Ranger. Her powers though... well, let's just say they've been repossessed."

"Cut the grandstanding, you creep! Get to the point!" Jake growled cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

Vrak smirked and raised his star shaped crystal, "With this crystal, I can absorb your powers. Once I have the powers of the Air, Earth, and Sea, I will create a power the world has never seen before and no one will stop me... not even you!"

"We'll just see about that." Troy called back defiantly, "Rangers?"

All four Rangers called their weapons and charged forward as Vrack summoned a small horde of his own Loogie foot soldiers to block their path. Both Troy and Gia pushed forward, leading the charge toward Emma, but found themselves slowed up by the sheer number of enemy troops. As the Red and Yellow Rangers ducked blows and countered the Loogies' attacks, Jake and Noah tried to make headway against the aliens, until Vrak stepped in from behind while they were distracted.

Noah suddenly stopped and staggered as he felt his powers being siphoned away by a strong magic pull while his back was turned. Struggling against the pull, Noah turned around just as Vrack struck him with his spear and sent him flying, causing him to demorph.

"Noah!" Jake cried in anger, "I'll save you buddy!"

The Black Ranger swung his axe through the Loogies and rushed toward his best friend. With a growl, he brought his axe down in a hammering blow on Vrak. To Jake's surprise, the alien raised his crystal and used it to stop the attack completely. The Crystal took no damage at all and began quickly sucking all of Jake's power away through the weapon.

Troy and Gia halted their charge as they saw Jake demorph and faint to the ground with an unconscious Noah nearby him. Torn between their priorities, the two Rangers turned and rushed to the aid of their fallen friends.

Surprising Vrak from behind, they sent him flying with a combined flying jump kick and used their momentum to land nearby the Blue and Black Rangers.

"Troy! We have to get out of here and regroup!" Gia shouted as Troy grabbed hold of the other boys.

Troy clenched his fist and hesitated a moment before nodding. Grabbing her blaster, Gia shot several blasts into the ground, kicking up a cloud of sand and smoke in front of Vrak. As Vrak raised a hand to shield his eyes, Troy grabbed his morpher and used his Wind Drive power to sweep the four to safety with the aid of a powerful red whirlwind.

As the sand cleared, Vrak smiled at the spot the Rangers had retreated from. Holding up his crystal, he saw that it glowed and pulsed brighter with even more power now. Three down and two to go. They may have gotten away, but he still had the Pink Ranger and knew she would still be useful as bait for his final triumph over the Power Rangers.

* * *

Later that day, the remaining Rangers regrouped in the safety of their Command Center while they lay Jake and Noah down to rest on some spare cots. After doing so, Gia looked over and saw Troy standing off to the side. His brows were furrowed and he was looking at the ground with a clenched fist, no doubt concerned about Vrak's next move as well as Emma's safety. For a moment, the guilty part of her wondered if he would show that much hesitation and concern should something happen to her.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Troy spoke toward their mentor, the large tiki head on the wall with glowing eyes, "Gosei, we need your help. Vrak was in possession of a strange stone that was able to neutralize our powers. I don't know how or why, but maybe you could tell us what we're up against."

"Perhaps if you were able to describe the stone in specific detail. I may be able to help." Gosei offered.

Troy scratched his head uncertainly, "Well..."

Gia suddenly snapped her fingers and chimed in, "I think I may be able to help with this. All I need is some drawing paper and a pencil."

After gathering the needed supplies, Gia was able to sketch a good picture of Vrak's crystal in no time flat. After several long moments of silence, Gosei spoke again, "That looks to be an Eridani Crystal. It's an extremely rare stone that's found at the far edges of the galaxy. It's also true that the crystals have powerful properties that can absorb various kinds of energy and radiation."

"But how are we going to be able to stop that thing?" Troy asked. It seemed invincible to our attacks."

Gosei answered, "Eridani stones are extremely durable, but they are not indestructible. If you can recover a sample of it, you may be able to recalibrate your blaster weapons to an energy frequency that can destabilize its molecular structure."

Troy nodded, "Jake struck the crystal with his axe. We may be able to find a trace of a crystal fragment on it."

"But what about our weapons?" Gia asked in concern. "Noah is still down for the count."

At that moment, the little robot Tensou rolled up next to her helpfully, "Don't worry Gia. I can take of that for you."

The Yellow Ranger smiled and patted the robot on the head gently. Turning to Troy, she nodded, "All right then. What are we waiting for?"

* * *

Later that day, Troy and Gia sat on a rocky outcropping overlooking the waters near the Command Center. After recovering a crystal shard from Jake's axe, all the two could do was wait for their teammates to wake up while Tensou modified their weapons. They sat together for a while in silence listening to the constant sound of the pounding surf.

After a companionable silence, Troy turned to Gia slowly, "You know, that was quick thinking back there. As much as I hate getting beat, it's probably smarter that we fell back and came up with a new plan."

Gia shrugged, 'There was a lot going on and you had a lot to worry about at the moment."

"That's just it," Troy said, "I was so worried about the others... and about Emma. I hesitated back there. I'm just glad you were there to back me up and help take charge."

Gia gave a sheepish smile and tried to wave it off, "Seriously Troy. It was nothing."

After another short silence, the two rose and began heading back to the cave when Troy spoke again, "You know, I meant what I said earlier today... about my confidence in you. It means a lot that I have a friend that I can completely rely on in these battles."

To her surprise, Troy stepped forward and gave her a soft gentle hug. "I don't care if you think I'm being uncool right now either. I just want to say thanks for being my Right Hand Girl."

After a moment, she relaxed and hugged him back with a small smile to herself. "You're doing a good job of relating there, Leader."

At that moment, their morphers beeped again and Gia reluctantly broke away from the hug as Troy answered, "We're here."

"Rangers, come quickly. Vrak has been sighted again."

The two Rangers hurried back in the cave as Gia silently swore revenge on the alien prince for his awful timing today.

* * *

Back inside the cave, Troy and Gia stood before Gosei as a small display screen showed Vrak returning to the beach. As they continued watching, they saw Vrak hold the Eridani Crystal to the sky and watched as the clouds above began to swirl and the waters of the beach begin to churn. To their horror, they also saw Emma tied down to a large rock on the beach as the tides began to rise slowly from Vrak's magic stone.

"We don't have much time. We've got to get going now!" Troy said forcefully reaching for his morpher.

"This is obviously a trap," Gia pointed out but Troy shook his head.

"I know that Gia, but it's not like we have much choice right now. We have to take the bait."

From the corner of the cave, Tensou gave a call, "Your weapons have been readjusted Troy. You two should be good to go."

At the other end of the cave, the two Rangers could hear the muffled groans of their friends as Jake and Noah slowly rolled over in their cots. "Ow. What hit me?" Jake groaned holding his head.

Gia put a quick hand on his shoulder, "Never mind that. You and Noah just sit tight for now and rest up. Troy and I will deal with Vrak."

"Be careful Rangers, Vrak will no doubt be stronger than he was last time," Gosei cautioned as the Red and Yellow Rangers hurried back outside.

"Try telling us something we don't already know," Troy muttered darkly as they morphed and continued charging down the beach to save Emma.

* * *

Meanwhile, Vrak stood on the high coastline bluffs and continued to laugh in sadistic glee as the clouds roiled violently in the air and the waves from the ocean continued to rise up the coastline. As Emma began to regain consciousness, she blinked her eyes groggily and looked in horror as she found herself restrained to a rock with the churning waters of the ocean rising dangerously close to her feet.

While Vrak watched the helpless Pink Ranger below him, he noticed some unusual gusts of wind and turned to see a small red whirlwind swoop by depositing the Red and Yellow Rangers in front of him

"You've returned," Vrak laughed, "and just in time to witness the destruction of your precious city."

Drawing her Tiger Claw, Gia turned to the Red Ranger, "Troy, go save Emma. I'll hold Vrak off for you."

Troy paused a moment before putting a hand on her shoulder and nodding, "All right. I'm counting on you Gia."

As the Red Ranger leapt down the bluff and slid down the steep dunes, the Yellow Ranger bravely turned to confront the alien prince who now held his spear and Eridani Crystal together.

Giving a roar, Gia charged forward and tried to put Vrak on the defensive with a flurry of furious blows. After backpedaling for a moment, Vrak laughed as he used his spear to deflect her strikes and slowly weaken her with the presence of his Crystal. Despite her attempts to reach for her blaster, Gia couldn't find an opening to attack the crystal and gritted her teeth as she was pummeled by punishing counterattacks from Vrak.

As Gia was sent flying by another blow from Vrak, she skidded the edge of the bluff while the alien loomed over her. "Stupid girl. Did you really think you could stand against me?"

From where she lay on the ground, Gia could see down the beach and caught sight of Troy breaking Emma's bonds with his Dragon Sword. Despite her fatigue, Emma threw her arms around the Red Ranger in relief as he picked her up and swept them away to safety with another summoned Wind Drive.

Gia gritted her teeth again in determination and gripped her tiger Claw tightly as she was overcome by conflicted emotions. She was glad Emma was now safe, but the sight of the Red and Pink Ranger's reunion stirred up the violent feelings of jealousy again. But Troy had still put his trust in her, and she wasn't about to let him down either.

"It's over Yellow Ranger. Your friends have abandoned you." Vrak sneered raising his spear for a finishing strike. As the blow came down, Gia swiftly rolled to the side and caught the spear with her claw, pinning it to the ground. To Vrak's shock, she pulled her blaster at point blank range and shot the Eridani Crystal in his hand, causing it to explode in a violent blast. Amid the blast, three streaks of Pink, Blue, and Black light flew free.

"No! How could you?" Vrak cried out in pain as he held his scorched hand and the Yellow Ranger slowly rose to her feet.

"I've had a really bad day Vrak," Gia growled, "and there's only one thing that will make me feel better right now."

The alien's blue eyes went wide as Gia rushed forward and hammered him with a relentless hail of vicious strikes before sending him flying backwards with a powerful kick. As Vrak crumpled to the ground, Gia fell to her knees in momentary exhaustion before she felt a strong hand take her arm and help her up.

Turning in surprise, she saw the Red Ranger give a proud nod, "Sorry I'm late Gia. Are you ready to finish this?"

Gia nodded gratefully and the two turned to face Vrak, who was slowly rising to his feet. In a flash, the two Rangers called on their golden ultra power and held their morphers forward.

"Ready when you are," Gia called as she summoned her Rock Crush ability. Troy nodded and summoned his own Twist Tornado, combining it with her attack.

The powerful cyclone of whirling wind swept up the jagged rocks of the Yellow Ranger's power and flew forward, picking Vrak up in a violent swirling vortex filled with dangerous debris that pummeled him repeatedly.

"No! You can't do this to me!" he cried as the two Rangers aimed the hilts of their ultra swords at him.

"And don't come back!" Gia shouted as the two Ultra Rangers fired off bursts of golden light and sent the alien prince hurtling out across the horizon of the sea. When the storm dissipated, the clouds began to clear and the waters of the ocean grew calm again.

Coming off the high of the battle, Gia took a deep breath and looked out over the ocean. She wanted a moment to breathe and collect her thoughts, but for the third time today, she was interrupted as Troy put a hand on her shoulder, "Come on. We should go check on the others." With a reluctant nod, she turned and slowly began to follow her leader back toward the Command Center.

* * *

Some time later, the Rangers gathered in their cave to rest and recover from the day's trying events. Although Jake, Noah, and Emma were still feeling weak, they were relieved to learn that their powers and stamina would recover completely after a few more days of rest. From the corner of the cave, Gia watched as Tensou excitedly buzzed back and forth between Jake and Noah while Troy sat nearby Emma's cot, talking quietly with her with a look of genuine relief and concern. Giving a satisfied nod, she turned and stepped outside to get some air.

From where she stood on the beach, she could see the light of the late afternoon sun begin to fade into the oranges of the early evening. It had been a long day, and a bit of an emotional roller coaster as well. In a strange way, she couldn't help but feel the same way she did this morning, as if she was right back to where she started. She should have been happy. Everyone was safe again and they defeated Vrak, but why was she still down?

"Hey, too cool to hang out with the rest of us?" a voice came from behind her. Gia turned to glance at Troy as he approached to join her at the seaside.

Rolling her eyes she sighed, "No. I just had a lot on my mind."

"Well, anything I can help with?" the Red Ranger offered.

Gia shook her head, "No. I think it's just something I need to work out for myself."

He nodded quietly and the two took a moment to admire the waves before she spoke again, "You know Troy, about what you said earlier today... about relying on me and trusting me so much. It really meant a lot to me, so thanks."

"Of course." Troy answered, "You did really well today, and I'm proud of you. But are you sure there's nothing I can do to help you in return? You seem like you've been wanting to say something all day."

Gia stopped and looked to him a long moment before taking a deep breath, "Even at the risk of me looking totally uncool?"

As Troy nodded, he was surprised as she stepped forward and gave him tender kiss between the lips and the cheek.

"I uh... just wanted to say thank you for saving my best friend today." Gia said trying her best to keep the blood from rushing to her face, "Since she's still out of it, that kiss was on behalf of Emma."

Troy blinked a moment in complete astonishment, "Umm, I'm a little confused right now. You're sure that doesn't mean anything else between us here, right?"

Gia cleared her throat and shook her head, "Of course not. Like you said, I'm just your second-in-command... your Right Hand Girl."

Troy shook his head again, still recovering from the sudden kiss, "Ok then... because I really hope Jake won't get the wrong idea. You know he's got a huge crush on you."

"Really? I didn't notice," Gia sighed rolling her eyes, "Then I'm sure you know Emma's got a huge crush on you too, right?"

"Err...no, actually I didn't." Troy answered apologetically, surprised for the second time in a few minutes.

Gia gave him an incredulous look and sighed. With a small smile she took his arm and led him back into the Command Center, "You're completely hopeless, you know that? It's a good thing you've got me around..."

Despite the aching feeling in her chest, Gia felt a little better at partially getting the truth out there. She was never one who really opened herself up to others very easily anyway. But maybe Troy had a good point too. If she was going to take on some of the team's leadership, that was something she could work on.

After all, it was probably for the best that she step aside for Emma and let go of her crush. If she was going to be as responsible as Troy, then her duty to the other Rangers and her best friend came first. Even if she had to settle for just being Troy's friend, it was still a comfort to know that she was still needed and that she could still be his Right Hand Girl.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Well, I think we can all relate to Gia in some way. We've all been there and know how it feels to lose out in the game of Romance. Unrequited Love totally sucks, but I hope you all still enjoyed the story. As always, feel free to leave any questions or comments. Thanks again for reading!**


End file.
